Feb 24, 2015 4 min read

South Strabane supervisors hired a technical consultant to review proposed changes to their oil and gas ordinance as they continue to grapple how to proceed with the issue.

The supervisors delayed a vote at their Tuesday night meeting on the amendment dealing with how to govern drilling support facilities in industrial zoned areas and agreed to hire Roach & Associates of Mt. Lebanon to review the amendment before moving forward at their March 24 meeting.

“We’ll just have to stay where we are until the board can make up its mind and make a decision,” Board Chairman Jack Keisling said. “It’s disappointing.”

Keisling wanted the board to vote on just one portion of the amendment governing auxiliary facilities, such as compressor stations and processing facilities, in industrial areas and mandating a 1,500 setback to protected structures.

Supervisor Ed Mazur said he was uncomfortable voting on the measure without having an expert with knowledge of the industry reviewing it first. He added that any applications for drilling and auxiliary functions are already in the “pipeline” that must follow the current rules of the township’s ordinance.

“I think it’s prudent to table this amendment so we can have a chance to have a final product to be reviewed,” Mazur said. “Everything is in the pipeline now, there isn’t a thing you can do about it with a curative amendment or anything else. It’s in the process of being completed.”

Supervisor Dan Piatt agreed and voted with Mazur and Robert Koman to table the measure. Keisling voted against tabling it and Supervisor Laynee Zipko abstained.

“I don’t think we’re in a position to vote on it because we don’t have a finalized version. There are various versions that we have, some of which came from input at the public hearings,” Piatt said. “I’d rather get the feedback from the professionals, if we have one, and vote on a final version.”

That consultant with Roach & Associates has a lengthy background in the oil and gas field, Piatt said, though Keisling raised concerns about his connections to the industry and was the only dissenting vote against hiring the company. The consultant would review the amendment and return for the late March meeting with recommendations and feedback.

“I think he will serve the purpose that the people are looking for to make sure our ordinance is technically correct,” Mazur said.

Earlier at the meeting, the township’s planning consultant, Carolyn Yagle, once again walked the supervisors through the amendments in the third public hearing on the issue in the last two months. She noted that even though industrial zones are open for auxiliary facilities, the 1,500-foot setback would shrink the amount of eligible land and keep activities away from homes in nearby residential areas.

“It becomes a very layered cake from the perspective of having a series of criteria out there as a first way to address all of these things that have been significantly involved as well as discussed,” Yagle said.

Keisling wanted the board to vote on that narrow issue of the amendment and the supervisors agreed to close the public hearing, even though some residents expressed their disappointment of not being allowed to discuss other issues related to the ordinance.

Township resident Don Lambert pleaded unsuccessfully with the supervisors to move forward with the amendment over concerns that they continue to lose time as more drilling operations begin to take place.

“We really do need to get this passed,” Lambert said. “So, I urge the board to get this passed in some form because we have a lot of activity happening right now … and we can continue to work on it later.”

The supervisors couldn’t agree on updating the ordinance Tuesday night, but they did unanimously approve a conditional use permit for a drilling operation at 218 Rankin Road. Rice Energy plans to drill four wells on the agricultural property beginning later this year.

Several residents complained of recent grading work on the site, although township Manager John Stickle said Rice requested and was granted a grading permit earlier this month, allowing them to perform the work. Township officials said grading work performed Sunday night was not in compliance with the construction ordinance and the company might face a $500 fine per occurrence.